#oneusleedo

A chance meeting, a small cafe in the middle of a crowded city, it was purely accidental. Traveling wasn’t something that you were always interested in, but your friend had suggested that you come along with her to visit South Korea and you had reluctantly agreed. She had gone to meet the man she had been talking to for over two years now, but she didn’t want to be alone on the plane, and she was nervous to be alone in a different country. That was the only reason you had gone along with her, and while you were already 99.8% sure that she’d be spending most of the time with her boyfriend, there was still a small fraction of you that hoped that she’d at least make some time to spend with you… Especially considering the fact that you had put your entire life on hold back at home just to go with her.

It wasn’t much of a shock that you were right in your initial thoughts, but it wasn’t just most of her time, it was all of her time. You barely even saw her, and while you both stayed in the same hotel together, you had gotten separate rooms. You were alone, and you were forced to navigate around a foreign country where you barely understood the language, picking up just enough so that you could make your way for the two weeks that you were there.

You relied heavily on translator apps and the map on your phone to get around, and when you found the small cafe a couple streets down from the hotel that you were staying in, it had become the only solace to you. The wifi was good, the coffee was good, and so was the food. It was rarely ever packed, and the employees behind the counter were beyond nice, respecting the very obvious language barrier between you and themselves. They’d smile and nod as you stammered out your order, and they never got it wrong. After the first week, they had even begun to remember your order, smiling and waving to you as you walked in. It was comforting to you, the only place of comfort for you.

The bell above the door rang out, a sound that you had become familiar with considering you spent a majority of all of your days there, and you didn’t even look up from your laptop anymore when you heard it, keeping your eyes locked on your phone screen as you scrolled through your timeline on Instagram.

A small conversation was held between whoever had come in and the worker behind the counter, and based on the conversation it sounded like they and whoever it was were close enough to talk so casually amongst each other. You only looked up when you heard your name mixed in with whatever else they were saying, and you attempted to sneakily look behind you to see who it was, but when you turned around you could see that they were looking at you as well. It felt like your entire body was set ablaze with embarrassment, the awkwardness of the situation washing over you as you quickly turned back to your phone, questioning yourself quietly about whether you’d be able to finish your coffee in one sip so you could run out of there as fast as possible.

With the straw between your lips, you took a long sip of the warm drink in your cup, but the quickness of your sips didn’t work in your favor, the liquid going down the wrong hole and causing you to burst into a coughing fit. “Are you okay?!” One of the employees called over, rushing out from behind the counter to run over to you, but she wasn’t the only one. The man who had been standing at the counter followed behind her, standing behind your chair and watching with narrowed eyes that looked both confused and slightly worried.

“I’m alright…” You mumbled, your hand rubbing against your chest as you tried to inconspicuously clear your throat so as to not make them worry anymore than they already were. “Really… I just drank too fast.” You hoped that she could understand you, but the way she looked to the man behind you with her head tilted, her eyebrows raised and the worry still evident on her features had your hope dwindling to nothing immediately.

The man chuckled quietly, nodding to her after she asked him something that you still couldn’t understand, and then he walked over to the empty chair across from you, pulling the chair out and sitting down. He was so readable though, his expression showing just how nervous he was feeling, although you weren’t sure why, and that alone had you internally panicking. “She wants me to tell you that she’s thankful to you for coming every day, and that…” He looked up to her, snorting softly when she said something else to him, nodding her head quickly and urging him to repeat it back to you. “She’s sorry for overreacting a little when you started coughing. You should slow down when you drink your coffee.”

You hummed in agreement, pursing your lips sheepishly before looking up at the woman, smiling softly to her. “Thank you.” Her smile widened, bowing her head to you and the man across from you before returning to the counter. “I should get back to my hotel though… Thank you for worrying as well.” You said to the man, quickly pushing your chair back and quickly standing. He was attractive, and just sitting across from him was making you flustered.

“Hotel?” He asked, for some reason interested in what had become your home for the last week. “You don’t live here?” You had assumed that the answer to his question had been painstakingly obvious based on the fact that you could barely speak a word of the native language. Shaking your head in response, his eyebrows lowered, seemingly deep in thought. “Do you go back soon?” You weren’t sure why it was so important to him, but you again stayed quiet, nodding your head this time in agreement. “Shame. I’m the only other regular here… It would have been nice to have someone to talk to when I came in.”

You swallowed thickly, your breath hitching in your throat as you looked at him. His cheeks were a light pink and his eyes were now on the table, as if what he had said had flustered him as much as it had you. “I don’t leave for another four days…” You blurted out, biting your tongue as soon as the words had left your mouth. Although he wasn’t looking at you, you could see the corners of his lips twitching up slightly, his fingers drumming against the tabletop as he nodded to himself.

“I’ll see you for the next four days then.” He said matter-of-factly, pushing away from the table just as you had. “I’m Kim Gunhak… But you can call me Leedo.” You repeated his name back to him as if you were testing out the way it sounded on your own tongue, and his eyes seemed to sparkle at the sound of it. “Well, Y/N…” He said your name casually, and for a split second you were shocked before you remembered that the woman at the counter had told him your name when he had come in. “I’ll see you later.”

“The time difference is so annoying…” Leedo mumbled to himself as he fell back onto the couch after work, pulling out his phone and seeing that you had already told him goodnight. He hadn’t been able to say it back because he was working, and by the time you woke up in the morning, he’d be getting ready to go to bed himself. It was a pain, he hated it, but he put up with it because there was just something about you that had him committed to you.

It had been a year since you had visited Korea, a year since he had met you four days before you were supposed to go back home, and those four days had been replayed in his mind like a movie every single night before he went to bed, relived in his dreams until the day that you’d be able to come back to him. “Wouldn’t it have been easier to just… date someone who lives here, hyung?” Xion asked, sitting on the chair opposite to Leedo, his own tiredness from the long day evident in his eyes.

Leedo looked up from his phone, the scowl had formed on his face as soon as he heard the maknaes words, his glasses reflecting his phone screen and somehow making him look angrier than he actually was. “Things don’t work like that. I like… I love her, I can’t just stop that.” He explained, and Xion only rolled his eyes, scoffing lightly as he pushed himself up off the chair and walked away, shaking his head as he did.

“I know why you did it…” Ravn said, coming from seemingly nowhere and falling back on the couch beside Leedo. “It’s easier for you this way.” It didn’t seem easier at all. It was a lot harder than Leedo thought it would be, and the assumption had him narrowing his eyes at the older member, interested in hearing the reasoning behind why he’d think that way. “You’re shy, and you get flustered so easily… As annoying as it is with the time difference and the distance, you don’t have to actually face her head on and deal with the overwhelming emotions that she gives you. You talk on the phone and text her all the time, but… You don’t actually have to see her which makes it a lot easier for you to stay calm.”

Leedo had never actually thought of it that way, and hearing it from his hyung only made him 100% sure that that wasn’t the case at all. At this point, he wouldn’t even mind dealing with the emotions that you gave him, he’d push past them as long as it meant seeing you again, being able to actually hold you and kiss you and do all the things that boyfriends do with their girlfriends in normal relationships. “I wish you were right…” He muttered, typing out a quick goodnight to you that you wouldn’t get until you woke up in the morning before shoving his phone into his pocket. “There’s nothing I want more than to see her… I just want her to come back.”

Who in the universe had looked down on him and decided that it would be fun to make him fall for someone who lived thousands of miles away? Did they think it was funny? Was his and your struggle to stay strong throughout the entire relationship some kind of joke? Maybe it was all just a test, to see if the two of you could do it, and after a year, he thought that the both of you had proven quite well that you loved each other. When was the page going to be flipped? When would things start to work in his and your favor?

There were factors that always had you and him on edge, even though you both were undoubtedly loyal to each other, there was always that underlying fear that came with long distance relationships. No matter how much trust you both had for each other, nothing could ease those worries that you and he had. It was natural, especially for you with how popular he was. Leedo was in a band, he was attractive, he could sing, and his voice was amazing, his songs were great, and he was an all around great guy. There was a lot for you to worry about, even if he never gave you a reason to.

The same could be said for you though, and while he was still too shy to admit it to you himself, you were astounding. You were absolutely gorgeous, you were smart, you were funny, and you could be serious when needed. You had a good head on your shoulders, you were understanding of his job and the hours that he worked that only further contributed to the annoyance of the time zone differences. You made it easy for him to love you, to be comfortable with you, to feel secure in the relationship even if you were miles apart. He loved that, but it was also unnerving for him. If it were that easy for him to fall for you, wouldn’t it be that easy for anyone else to fall for you too? Even if that were the case… It would be selfish of him to hold you back for being loved in your own country, being loved by someone who could be physically affectionate with you. He would never keep you from getting that kind of love, just like you would never keep him from getting it either.

With all of that, with the worries and the fears, your relationship was still solid, because through all of that, there was still the underlying foundation of trust that kept the two of you together. There were fears and worries, negative thoughts occasionally, but none of those were as strong as the love that had seemed to bloom twice as fast from the distance. The distance held a promise that at the end of the very long tunnel that seemed to be dark, there was the day that you’d finally be with each other, that all the late night phone calls on either end would culminate to something that the both of you had been waiting for like a child counting down the days to Christmas. In the end, it was all worth it because you’d have each other.

“She’s not responding…” Leedo mumbled from the far side of the practice room, leaning against the wall with one arm across his chest and his other arm held up to hold his phone in front of his face. It wasn’t just the lack of response though, it was the fact that you hadn’t even read the messages that he had sent either. “She should be awake by now.” He knew that you should be, he knew the time difference by heart, he could easily tell anyone what time it was where you were at without having to do the mental math like he had before.

It was your day off, but the chances of you sleeping in late were very slim. You were a busy person, you didn’t allow yourself the golden opportunity of sleeping in, you always felt like you needed to do something no matter what it was. “Maybe she’s at the store, or maybe she’s driving, or her phone died. Maybe she thinks that you’re supposed to be working, so she’s not responding so she doesn’t mess up practice.” Seoho said, glaring at Leedo who had spent most of the practice session staring into his phone. “You can’t let your worries keep you from doing what you have to do.”

Leedo sighed heavily, the annoyance evident in the breath as it hung heavy in the air. He slipped his phone into his pocket and went back to the center of the room, getting into the formation for the next dance. The problem wasn’t that he was worried about you finding someone else, he was sure that you’d still text him or at least read the messages if that were the case. He was worried about something worse than that. He was a man, and he was a man who’s in love with someone thousands of miles away. These kinds of worries were inevitable because he couldn’t see you as often as he liked, and the time difference only made it harder for him to make sure that you were okay. He wanted nothing more than the simplicity of having you there with him, having you in the same country as him so that he’d know that you were okay, that everything was okay, but again, life was never simple, and he was stuck with these worries instead.

“Just, practice a bit. It’ll take your mind off of everything. I’m sure you have nothing to worry about.” Ravn chimed in, far more polite than the way Seoho sounded. He patted Leedos shoulder before turning to head to the door. “I have to go do something real quick, I’ll be right back. Fill me in on the choreography when I get back, alright?” The other members nodded as he walked out the door, a smile forming across his face as he walked down the hallway to leave the building, his plan now in full motion.

The text had come as a shock to you a week ago, mainly because you didn’t know how he had gotten your Kakao ID in order to text you in the first place, but the text itself was the cause of the second wave of shock that had washed over you.

You knew the rest of the members in the band only because they walked into the room many times when you were talking to Leedo, whether it was a phone call or a video call, they’d come in out of nowhere and Leedo would scold them for bothering him. You’d usually laugh it off because you didn’t mind it as much as he seemed to, it only seemed normal that you’d meet them at some point, and you were sure that it would be easier to meet them now that you had seen them and gotten to know their personalities slightly through their interruptions and the way that Leedo talked about them.

Still, you hadn’t been expecting a text from Ravn a week ago asking you, or, more like begging you to come to Korea. At first you had panicked, the message had come out of nowhere, and the urgency behind it had you worrying that something had happened to your boyfriend. You were already grabbing the most necessary items you’d need to get there, your ID and your passport, slipping them into your purse as you ran to your front door when the second text came in. There was nothing actually wrong with Leedo, not in the sense that you had to rush onto the next flight at least, but Ravn said that he seemed to be really upset, that he couldn’t even focus on practicing and singing because he wanted to see you.

You knew that it was hard because you were going through it too, but you didn’t think that he’d be having it that hard. You weren’t even sure what you were supposed to do though, you had work to worry about, you had bills to pay, and you couldn’t just tell your boss that you needed who knows how much time off so you could fly out to South Korea and comfort your boyfriend, as much as you wanted to do that.

Ravn was insistent though, even after you had explained that to him. He sent you a candid photo of Leedo, one where he wasn’t paying attention, just staring longingly at his phone, his bottom lip jutted out and you were sure that he didn’t even realize how sad he looked. It hurt to see him that way, you hated seeing him sad. He looked so happy when he was on calls with you, he sounded happy, and you wondered how much of that was an act, if he went back to looking like that picture as soon as the call ended. You hated to think that that was the way it was, and that’s why you had immediately went to your boss, pleading with them to let you have at least a week off, that you’d work over when you got back.

It had taken a lot to convince them, to get them to agree, and you wondered if it was really because they were okay with you going, or because they just wanted you to stop asking. You weren’t sure, but at that moment you were just ecstatic to be able to go back, to actually be able to go to Korea to see him. It had been so long since you had seen him, and the crazy thing was that the two of you had started dating over the internet, he had asked you out through a video call, so when you had left a year ago, you were parting ways as friends. Now you were returning, and you couldn’t even begin to describe the excitement you felt, but it was mixed in with so many nerves. You weren’t sure how it would be, but you were looking forward to it nonetheless.

The plane landed almost a full day later, landing shakily on the tarmac and jolting you out of the sleep that had overtaken you as soon as you sat in your seat. The entire trip had been a surprise for him, and the other members were in charge of keeping it a secret until the day that you landed. Ravn was picking you up from the airport, and sadly your arrival time was in the middle of their workday, something that you worried would mess up the plan, but Ravn had assured you that it would be okay, that it would probably be better that way.

Now you found yourself trying to navigate your way through the airport. The last time you had been there, your friend had been right beside you and she had looked just as lost as you. Now you were by yourself, trying to find the exit in the sea of people that surrounded you. Eyes scanning through the crowd, they landed upon a giant white board with your name written across it, and you quickly shuffled through everyone to make your way to the person who was holding it, letting out a quiet sigh of relief when you saw it was Ravn. You were one step closer to being with Leedo, to finally seeing him again.

“You’re finally here! He’s been panicking all morning because you haven’t messaged him.” Now it was Ravns turn to sigh with relief, knowing, or at least hoping, that Leedo would be okay once he saw you. “Did you text him before you got on the plane?” He asked, leading you to the exit doors and out to the pickup spot where a black car was waiting for him and you.

“Yes, I told him I wasn’t feeling very well and that I was going to take a nap.” It was the only excuse you could give him for not being able to respond to him during the evening hours in your time zone, but you hadn’t been able to text him since. The wifi on the plane had been awful, you couldn’t even connect to it for more than a second, it’s not like you hadn’t tried to text him, it’s just that you were unable to. Ravns mouth opened into a small o, the realization finally hitting him as to why Leedo had been so worried about you when you hadn’t responded. “Pretty sure your last message has him worried that you’re like… dead or something. I have to get you to him fast before he starts spiraling.” You thought that he had been joking at first, but he looked so serious that you started to feel guilty for not thinking of a better excuse. You could only hope that you’d get to wherever he was as fast as possible so you could ease his worries, so you could show him that you were okay, more than okay really.

You watched out the side window, the familiar scenery from a year ago passing you by. You couldn’t believe how much had changed in such a short amount of time. It had only been a little over fourteen months since you had been here last, and the only thing that seemed to have changed in that time had been you. You were much happier now, and you couldn’t hide the smile that spread across your face as your feelings changed from nervous jitters to excited butterflies, your gut telling you that you were getting closer to where he was before Ravn had even informed you of it.

Would he be excited to see you? It seemed like a silly question to ask yourself. Of course he would be, the two of you talked often about finally being able to see each other again. Most of the time those conversations would end in the brutal realization that it most likely wouldn’t happen any time soon, mainly because your job didn’t allow you to financially afford a trip, let alone give you the time off to take one. His schedule was also constantly booked with studio days, practice days, and when he wasn’t doing that, he had interviews and photoshoots to handle. It was the reality that neither of you liked to face, knowing that the long distance aspect of your relationship would drag out longer than both of you wanted it to. Now you were here though, and while you were only able to stay with him for a week, you had hoped that it would be enough for him, that he would be just as happy as you were to finally be able to see you in person.

Slumped in the back of the practice room again, his phone gripped between his fingers as he stared at the message screen again, still, nothing from you. The message hadn’t been read, and there was no response, the feeling of worry that had overcome him was now turning to nausea. You said that you weren’t feeling well, but you never told him exactly what was wrong. He felt bad, no, awful for not being able to be there for you, to be there with you, and if anything happened to you he would blame himself even if he knew deep down that there was nothing he could have done to change the outcome of whatever possible happened.

The practice room door swung open, and he quickly pushed himself up, ready to ream Ravn for being gone so long. How selfish was it for him to leave the rest of the group to practice for what felt like hours while he got to leisurely do whatever the hell it was that he was doing. The smile on his hyungs face only had him feeling more livid, his phone being slipped back into his pocket as his fists balled up at his side, but that anger quickly subsided, evaporating completely when he saw you walking in behind him.

His mouth fell open, his eyes wide with shock, he didn’t believe it, he didn’t want to believe it out of fear that he’d wake up and it would all just be some hope filled dream that he was having to make himself feel better. At the same time though, there was no way that his brain could have come up with something like this, no way that his brain could have conjured you up so perfectly, the detail so perfect down to the highlight in your hair caused by the fluorescent lighting in the practice room. There was no way, so he allowed himself to believe that it was real, allowed his feet to move himself forward until he was standing in front of you.

Your eyes were alight with excitement, and the silent sheepish apology for making him worry for so long. He didn’t know what to say though, he was so sure that he would have had time to prepare himself for a moment like this, time to practice what he’d say when he saw you, time to prepare his nerves. “Sorry I worried you…” You said quietly, your voice ringing like bells in his ears, urging him to think of something to say, but all he could really think was how beautiful your voice sounded in person, how his phone and his earbuds did it no justice.

“I’m fine.” He stammered out, his shyness written across his face as it turned beet red, all of the other members in the room stifling their laughter as they watched the awkward exchange. It was like he was meeting you for the first time all over again, except this time you weren’t just a stranger in a coffee shop, you were his girlfriend. His head whipped to look over his shoulder, his eyes narrowing as he glared at the guys behind him, the look alone telling them to leave the room, to give him this time with you.

They all shuffled through the door quickly under Leedos dagger-like eyes, but their laughter grew louder once they were out in the hallway, quickly fading as they distanced themselves from the room. Once they were gone though, it was like you both could finally relax now that your audience had left. “I didn’t really know how to excuse myself for a plane ride so long… I probably should have thought of something better…” You sounded so guilty, your eyes dropping to the floor as your hands folded in front of your lap. He couldn’t help the soft laughter that escaped him, the sound causing you to look up at him with confusion.

“You just wanted to surprise me…” He mused, and you quickly nodded, a small smile tugging at the corners of your lips. “It worked. I never would have thought that the reason you weren’t responding was because you were on your way here.” He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly and it was like all of his pent up nerves were released with that breath. There were so many things that he wanted to do, so many things that he wanted to say to you. He had dreamt of this moment for so long, and while your arrival hadn’t played out the way it had in his mind, that didn’t mean that everything else he had wanted couldn’t happen. In an instant his arms were wrapped around your waist, pulling you against him as he buried his face in your hair. “I’m really happy you're here… How long though…?”

The hum that escaped you vibrated against his chest, the warmth of your body against his own, it was comforting, but he couldn’t help but tense up slightly from your hesitation in answering. “A week…” You murmured, and while it wasn’t nearly as much time as he would have liked to have with you, it was still more than what he had gotten the last time you were here. He had seven days, and he would make sure to make, and give you as many memories as he could in the next 168 hours no matter what.

“We’ll make seven days feel like a lifetime…” He pulled back enough to cup your cheek, his thumb brushing along your cheek lightly before drawing close, his lips pressing against yours in a deep kiss that was filled with longing, and with that one kiss you could feel just how long he had been waiting for this moment. “Do you want to go get coffee first? I’m sure Eunyeong will be happy to see you.” You nodded in agreement as his hand caressed softly down the side of your face, dropping down to intertwine his fingers with your own before leading you out the door of the practice room. “What do you want to do after that?”

His question had you thinking, racking your mind on what to do, but you couldn’t think of any one thing in particular. Truthfully, you’d be happy to do anything as long as it was with him, and that was exactly what this visit was about. You had seven days, 168 hours together, and even if it didn’t seem like long enough, no amount of time would be long enough with him… right now, you were with him, you were together, this was what you had been waiting for, and you couldn’t be happier. These seven days would be the start of what the two of you could have together, the life the two of you could live forever, and for that, you couldn’t wait.